BY ROSIE WITTLEDER, GRACE ATTENDER
Dear God,
Please help. We are overwhelmed, scared, and uncertain about the ways the coronavirus is unraveling us. We are living in unprecedented times, and these waters are unchartered. No one really knows how long this will last, or how exactly it will impact us before it’s all over. We need help.
Help for the person whose income has now decreased substantially with short notice. Whose business is now in flux. Or whose job has been lost entirely. How will they pay their bills, God? Will they have what they need to meet the basic needs of their children?
Help for the elderly or those whose immune systems are compromised. Those who will have a harder time fighting this virus. Who will take care of them? Who will show up and do what needs to be done when they are shut-in?
Help for the children, whose entire schedules have been flipped upside down. They don’t see their friends or teachers anymore. Instead, they are at home with adults who are anxious and afraid. Who will comfort them and let them know they will be okay, that we will make it through this?
Help for the lonely. Those who live alone, the elderly, or the single parents. Those who are already susceptible to loneliness, and now everyone has left them for the sake of their physical health. Who will visit them? Who will send letters? Who will check on them?
Help for dual-income families, who now have children at home to care for, all the while still trying to keep up with their own work. How can they provide care for toddlers, while needing to be on a call? How can they do e-learning and still put in the hours that are required of them?
Help for healthcare professionals, desperately trying to provide good care while undersupplied, understaffed, and underappreciated. While serving the vulnerable, become more susceptible to contracting the virus. Who will be with them when they are flooded with ongoing suffering and scarcity? How does one recover from witnessing trauma day after day?
Help for the marginalized, the poor, the homeless – those who were in need even before this pandemic hit us. Who will meet the needs of those with no food, shelter or support when everything is shut down? For the ones on the front lines providing these services, who will pick them up as they see the already vulnerable become even more desperate?
Help for the stay at home parent who now has children home full time. Who may already have the propensity to feel trapped or unseen. The parent who has kids at different grade levels, requiring different things. Or has younger ones in the mix too. Where will they go when they are tired, overwhelmed and lose their patience?
Help for those who struggle with addiction, anxiety, depression or any other mental health struggle. And now are faced with an entirely different level of uncertainty. Who will they turn to when their normal ways of getting help are no longer available? How will they cope during this time, when fighting mental health challenges was already present?
Help for those in helping professions. Who are now inundated with people who are struggling and need help. The therapists, financial advisors, pastors, church staff members, teachers, administrators, etc. Who will they turn to, while everyone is turning to them?
Help for government leaders who must make huge decisions for masses of people. Who feel hated by those who think they should have stepped in sooner or hated by others who think they are overstepping their authority. Who will comfort them and give them wisdom when no matter what they do, will be blamed?
Help for leaders of any community or organization. Who are faced with making choices impacting everyone in their care. Who may feel paralyzed by predicaments of keeping people safe, or keeping people employed. Those who are faced with the logistical nightmare of making everything virtual. Who will be with them as they endure the back-breaking pressure of wondering if they are doing what is best for their people?
But you, God.
You are the lifter of our heads. You see us. You see our tears and our anguish. You hear our cries for help.
You are close to the broken-hearted and save those who are crushed in spirit.
You are intimately familiar with suffering. With those who are barely hanging on. These are the people you hung out with. These are your people.
You cry as we cry. You know what it's like to feel all the feelings. You know our frailty and our humanity.
You look at us with love, compassion, and care. You hold each of us and collect all our tears. Not one is missed.
You give us strength when we feel like we can’t go on. You give us hope when we feel despair. You give us options when we feel powerless.
You give us clarity when we feel confused. You give us creativity when we feel stuck. You give us wisdom when we don’t know what to do.
You give us rejuvenation in the morning when we went to bed feeling beaten up. You give us new perspective when we feel lost. We don’t know how you’ll get us through this God, but we know you love us and that you can be trusted. You are with us and will never leave us.
Help us to hang on. Hang on to You. Hang on to our loved ones. Hang on to the things that matter.
Help us be a people that while we are suffering, can look out and see the suffering of others. Help us to use the talents and gifts you’ve given to build up and support those around us. This is the time.
Thank you for hope, healing, and endurance. This road may be long, but you are sticking with us to the end. And for that, we are thankful.
Sincerely,
Your People
Psalm 34:17-18
He hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. He is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
To see more of Rosie’s writing, visit: https://sugarfreewritings.com/my-blog